§ 501.713 Order Instituting Proceedings.

If a respondent makes a timely request for a hearing, the Director shall determine, at his or her option, whether to dismiss the violation(s) set forth in the Penalty Notice or to issue an Order Instituting Proceedings to initiate the hearing process. The Order shall be served on the respondent(s) as provided in § 501.705(c)(1). The Director may, in his or her discretion, withdraw an Order Instituting Proceedings at any time prior to the issuance of a decision by the Administrative Law Judge.

(a) Content of Order. The Order Instituting Proceedings shall:

(1) Be prepared by the Office of the Chief Counsel or other counsel assigned by the General Counsel and based on information provided by the Director;

(2) State the legal authority under which the hearing is to be held;

(3) Contain a short and plain statement of the alleged violation(s) to be considered and determined (including the matters of fact and law asserted) in such detail as will permit a specific response thereto;

(4) State the amount of the penalty sought in the proceeding; and

(5) Be signed by the Director.

(b) Combining penalty actions. The Director may combine claims contained in two or more Penalty Notices involving the same respondent, and for which hearings have been requested, into a single Order Instituting Proceedings.

(c) Amendment to Order Instituting Proceedings. Upon motion by the Director, the Administrative Law Judge may, at any time prior to issuance of a decision, permit the Director to amend an Order Instituting Proceedings to include new matters of fact or law that are within the scope of the original Order Instituting Proceedings.